Outside Lands 2014 Spotlight: Christopher Owens

So Christopher Owens has a crazy life, right? Forget that he grew up in a travelling gypsy cult, that’s real, that happens and I know people who’ve lived an iteration of that, kind of, (unlike boring-ass Jenny Lewis, who recently told the New York Times some ridiculous name-droppy, madeup, Hollywood story about Corey Haim giving her a Beastie Boys/Run DMC mixtape that inspired her to become a musician, seriously fuck Jenny Lewis). In the past two years Christopher Owens has had an album on Billboard’s Top 100 with his band Girls, quit and dissolved that very band, launched a solo career, released an album and recorded another—and somehow became the face of Yves St Laurent and a H&M model. Fucking Christ, I’m tired after watching two episodes of Boardwalk Empire and dicking around on my phone for 20 minutes.

But here’s the beautiful thing, in 2014 Christopher Owens sounds like he is at peace. His 2013 release, “Lysandre,” is so its own thing, with cleaner guitar and optimism…and flutes, that you completely get his frustration with the Girls’ revolving door and his desire to have a band growing with him to do new shit. And from what it sounds like, his forthcoming release, A New Testament is a step even further into that sunny place.